Search

Eric Reading leads major initiatives at the enterprise level for Abt Global, particularly in areas of strategic priority including digital transformation. He previously led Abt Global’s International Development Division, the largest division of the firm.

Jane Pepperall is a senior health professional with over 30 years of experience in global health policy development and in supporting national health sector development in the Pacific, Asia, and Africa. She has focused on strategy and investments to strengthen health systems and health financing. Jane worked for the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) (now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) for 20 years, including health adviser postings in Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Pakistan, and the Pacific. More recently she has been providing health strategy, policy, and technical advice to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Kathleen Flanagan is president and chief executive officer of Abt Global. She assumed the position on October 1, 2009, after a distinguished career working across the broad range of markets and policy areas that reflect the company's business today. Flanagan joined the company in 1983 as a policy analyst in the Health Area. In 1989 she became managing vice president of the company's Labor Economics Research Area, overseeing research on workforce development and income security programs. In the mid-1990s she launched the International Workforce and Education Practice, winning projects from clients including the U.S. Agency for International Development, World Bank and U.S. Department of Labor. In 1998, she launched the company's Housing and Community Revitalization practice and built a team of more than 75 researchers and technical assistance staff working on affordable housing and community development policies at the federal, state and local levels. In 2005, she was named group vice president for social, economic, and health policy.

Baris Yener has more than 25 years of experience in executive leadership, growth strategy development, and organizational transformation. His business-development and project work has involved a wide range of clients, including the World Bank, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other private sector and federal agencies.As Chief Client Officer at Abt, Yener leads client strategy and growth to ensure the voice of the customer drives investment decisions, capability development, and market execution. 

Gary L. Perlin, the retired chief financial officer of Capital One Financial Corporation, is the non-executive chairman of Abt Global’s Board of Directors.Perlin has more than three decades of experience in senior finance roles in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. As CFO of Capital One – one of the largest financial services companies in the nation – Perlin was responsible for the company’s overall financial management. He was named “Best Finance Company CFO” for four years by Institutional Investor magazine between 2007 and 2011.

Lakshmi Shyam-Sunder is the former Vice President and World Bank Group Chief Risk Officer (2014-2024). Lakshmi was previously Chief Financial Officer at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and Director of Risk and Financial Policy at the International Finance Corporation both also part of the World Bank Group.

Eduardo Castellon has two decades of experience helping public sector clients—from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development—grow and refine their operations and impact. He has extensive experience delivering consulting expertise focused on artificial intelligence (AI), supply chain, procurement, financial management, and advanced analytics. His technological, consultative, and entrepreneurial skills help clients find new ways to address challenges ranging from affordable housing to homelessness to guaranteed income. He also has extensive expertise in technical assistance and implementation (TA&I) approaches. And his management experience includes developing high-performing teams through skills and career development and succession planning.